Roadside Economy

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My mode of travel to popular tourist destinations in the Philippines was mostly by bus. I would go to bus terminals in Cubao, Baguio or Mabalacat to take a bus going to the place I would visit, say Angeles City or Iloilo or Banaue. While road-building was the penchant of former Presidents of the country as a step to achieve economic prosperity, it was during the Marcos years and lately, through the infrastructure programs of the current Arroyo government that roads and bridges were built and still being planned to be built with reasonable frequency. I believe the government plan is to cut down the travel time between and among provinces and between industrial/agricultural and tourist areas so that faster socio-economic interaction would be achieved. As soon as highways are created and ready for use, along side these ribbons of well-paved roads would rise grocery stores, restaurants and other business establishments, bus stops or rest areas, highway subdivisions, nipa houses, schools, hospitals, government offices, etc. So that when you are in an airplane and you'll follow the path of a particular highway, it would reveal a road lined with rooftops of residential houses and business establishments, with trees and vegetations, and from both sides of this road or highway are stretches of open ricefields, sugar cane plantations or cornfields. This is the scene whenever the highway leaves an urban area such as Manila and starts to wend its way across towns, cities and barangays of far-away provinces until it ends to its last kilometer post. Along side this major road, there are eateries that offer all kinds of foods and delicacies to the hungry and weary traveler. There are huge bus stops or transport terminals that have restaurants and general merchandise stores that allow travelers to take 10 to 15 minutes of rest from the rigors of travel and eat, use the comfort rooms and purchase souvenir items. At night, the road or stretches of it are well-lit from the many restaurants and eateries that are open until the wee hours of the morning. And these would include the many videoke bars and resto-bars that serve as entertainment centers for the lonely traveler. Most bus companies maintain their own bus stops. It is believed, while this is just a hunch, that drivers and conductors eat free in these bus stops. They also have a special corner in the restaurant when they eat. Well, you could say this is one of the perks of their job. Meanwhile, bus passengers have to line up and select the food that they want to buy and eat. And eat fast they must, because a bus usually stops in just 15 minutes and then leaves. Woe to the passenger who would be left behind because he or she is unaware that the bus had left. Sometimes, well-meaning bus conductors would count the passengers in their respective buses, so that before their drivers start to leave the parking area, everyone inside the bus is accounted for. Private vehicles meanwhile can stop anytime and anywhere on the road and purchase souvenir items from native folks selling those items from their makeshift stores. It could be a wood carving, an artifact, or exotic food item like crabs or special vinegar. Whatever item is sold alongside the road, the seller is assured of a profit since no sales tax is included in the purchase price. There is no receipt either. I call this roadside economy and it is alive and well in the Philippines.
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